


I'll Find Strength in Pain

by lily_pearl (lilyandjoey)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-30
Updated: 2010-04-30
Packaged: 2017-10-18 08:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/186935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyandjoey/pseuds/lily_pearl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A missing scene from Chamber of Secrets set just after Professor McGonagall breaks the news of the fourth attack to Gryffindor House.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Find Strength in Pain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kellychambliss](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kellychambliss).



Minerva McGonagall climbed somewhat awkwardly through the portrait hole and paused briefly in the corridor outside Gryffindor tower as the portrait swung shut behind her. She straightened her clothes absentmindedly as she gathered her thoughts, then turned and walked briskly away from the tower. In some ways, she regretted that she had allowed her composure to slip in front of her students and that she had allowed her distress to be seen so plainly. She prided herself on her ability to keep a level head in times of crisis but it was proving rather difficult as the attacks escalated. She reflected that perhaps she had done the right thing in telling the students so much. No matter how much she wanted to protect them, the children deserved to know the danger that they were all in.

When she reached the hospital wing, Minerva took a deep breath and knocked gently at the main door. She knew that she didn't really need to knock but she was tired and tense. Politeness and little formalities soothed her in a way she couldn't define and she knew that Poppy Pomfrey didn't mind indulging her little foibles from time to time. To her surprise, she heard the muted sounds of someone fumbling with the locks inside, then Poppy opened the door a fraction.

"Oh, it's you, Minerva," she said, relief evident in her voice as she drew back to open the door fully.

Minerva walked through the door and surveyed the room while Poppy bolted the doors again.

"Orders from on high," Poppy said by way of vague explanation as she headed for her little office.

Minerva followed her, trying not to look for too long at the prone forms of the four petrified children. They lay awkwardly on the hospital beds, frozen in odd positions as they were. It wasn't this that she found hard to look at though; it was their eyes. Each child had a look of abject terror, as though the last thing they had seen was a hideous sight to behold. As she passed the beds, she caught a glimpse of Sir Nicholas and quickly looked away. For reasons she couldn't explain, she found looking at the petrified ghost far more disconcerting than looking at the children. There was something disconcertingly _malevolent_ about his change from the vibrant, translucent being he had been to this stationary figure of dark smoke. He looked almost toxic.

"Why is the bed at the far end curtained off?" Minerva asked, in an effort to distract herself from her increasingly dark thoughts.

Poppy ushered her into the little office, closed the door and cast a few silencing charms before answering. She looked a little sheepish and despite herself, Minerva felt a smile forming.

"That's where Mrs Norris is," Poppy said as she bent to retrieve her tea things from the little cabinet in the corner.

She clattered about with the tea set far more than usual and Minerva recognised it as a poor attempt to change the subject. She smiled to herself and took her time removing her hat and heavy outer robes. She hung her hat neatly on the hat rack and her robes neatly on a peg. She sank into one of Poppy's armchairs and allowed herself to relax a little.

"Why is Mrs Norris curtained off?" she asked innocently.

Poppy shot her a dirty look.

"If you must know, it's because Argus keeps coming in to sit with her," Poppy replied tartly as she carried the tea tray over and sat down.

Minerva looked at Poppy pointedly and helped herself to a biscuit.

"He just sits there looking mournfully at that cat and it's driving me up the wall!" Poppy said in exasperation.

"So you closed the curtain round him," Minerva said with a small hint of amusement.

"I'm doing the best I can, Minerva," Poppy explained, "but this is a school infirmary not a menagerie! And there's nothing I can do for any of them until the Mandrakes are ready."

She picked up her cup of tea and took a small sip. Minerva picked up the little plate of biscuits and offered one to Poppy as a conciliatory gesture. Poppy scowled at her unconvincingly before accepting and they sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"So what brings you to my domain?" Poppy asked wryly.

Minerva sighed and set down her tea cup.

"I wanted the company," she said simply.

"You could have found company in the staff room," Poppy suggested.

"I wanted _your_ company," Minerva said in a tone that brooked no argument.

She picked up another biscuit and paused just before taking a bite.

"Besides," she added, "I'm fairly sure Gilderoy is in the staff room."

She took a bite of the biscuit and watched as Poppy tried (rather unsuccessfully) not to laugh.

"You're not avoiding Gilderoy are you, my dear?" Poppy said in mock concern.

"Oh yes, I am," Minerva said firmly. "If I have to listen to his tales of derring-do one more time I shall summon the signed copy of _Magical Me_ which is currently languishing in the wastepaper basket under my desk and smack him over the head with it."

Poppy creased up with laughter at this pronouncement and it took her quite some time to compose herself.

"I really shouldn't be encouraging you," she said fondly.

"Need I remind you of his considerable prowess as a healer?" Minerva asked sharply.

Poppy frowned slightly.

"Consider yourself encouraged," she said brusquely, "after what he did to the Potter boy's arm ..."

She trailed off and seemed lost in thought for a few moments. The two women lapsed into a comfortable silence again. Minerva poured another cup of tea for herself and one for her companion, taking comfort in the simple ritual.

"I came here for rather selfish reasons, I'm afraid," Minerva said softly, finally breaking the silence.

She sipped at her scalding tea before continuing.

"When I'm with you, I can forget that outside that door there are four petrified children, a petrified ghost, a petrified cat, a whole school full of frightened children and," she said carefully, "someone or something responsible for the whole mess."

Poppy smiled sadly and reached out across the little table to take Minerva's hand. She stroked her thumb across the back of her hand rhythmically.

"That's not selfish," she said simply, "that's human. You don't have to bear everything alone, you know."

Just then, the office door glowed blue and Poppy reluctantly withdrew her hand. While Poppy cancelled the silencing charms, Minerva silently cursed the interruption and hoped whoever it was had a bloody good reason. Both women stood and headed towards the door. Poppy opened her office door and strode briskly towards the main door of the hospital wing. Minerva remained just outside the office and watched as Poppy unlocked the door and opened it to admit a rather harried Filius Flitwick.

"Whatever is the matter, Filius?" Minerva said, hurrying towards him.

Behind him, Poppy closed the door and began to lock it but Minerva motioned for her to stop.

"Cornelius Fudge is here," Filius said urgently, "and it doesn't look good. He's on his way to Hagrid's with Dumbledore right now."

Minerva looked at Poppy and saw her own horror echoed there.

"Surely they don't think he had anything to do with this?" Poppy said, aghast.

"Get everybody up to the staff room – I'll be with you shortly," Minerva said.

Though he was normally one to argue, Filius accepted the instruction gladly and hurried out of the hospital wing without protest.

Poppy closed the door behind him and leaned against it as though trying to prevent the outside world from encroaching. Minerva went back into Poppy's office and put on her outer robes and her hat with a heavy heart. She turned and checked her appearance in Poppy's mirror and noted that while she did look neat and respectable, the most accurate adjective would have to be 'tired'.

When she left the office she found Poppy moving from bed to bed, checking on her patients despite the fact that they remained as ever unchanged. Minerva laid a hand gently on Poppy's shoulder to still her. Poppy turned and Minerva knew from the look of steely determination that Poppy intended to keep herself busy (no matter how futile the task) in order not to despair.

"Come to my rooms later," Minerva said impulsively.

"I can't leave them," Poppy said, brushing past Minerva to check on little Colin Creevey again.

Minerva sighed and walked towards the door.

"Then I'll come to you," she called back as she opened the door.

She closed the door quickly behind her, determined to have the last word and therefore her own way. She stood for longer than she should have in the hallway outside the hospital wing and listened to Poppy's muted footfalls and the muffled thuds of the bolts sliding into place. She hoped that Poppy would unlock the doors for her a second time tonight.


End file.
